Career Related Learning at St Aidan’s
Introducing our children to the world of work can help to bring learning alive by sparking their curiosity and creating those lightbulb moments!
Embedding careers information into the curriculum and giving pupils the chance to learn about different jobs and employability skills will help them to better understand the world of work, what they are interested in and what skills they have, whilst broadening their horizons and challenging stereotypes.
Research shows that as children grow up, their focus and aspirations can narrow. A DfE-funded pilot run by the Careers and Enterprise Company – Start Small, Dream Big – found that from the age of 4, children start to make limiting decisions about who they can be when they grow up. By age 5 and 6, children are beginning to narrow their choices based on their gender, and by age 10 many young people have already made career-limiting decisions, which are fixed by the time they are 14.
Their thoughts on the jobs they might do are influenced by the jobs their family members do, jobs the see on TV, local businesses or societal expectations and stereotypes.
By embedding information on what it means to have a job and earn money, we want to help show children the bigger picture in terms of the world of work, we are not asking them to choose their future career right now! It is about opening up the wide range of possibilities in front of them and positively challenging things like who can and can’t do a certain job and which job is better than another.
Not only do we do this through our curriculum but also through Careers Week.
Coming Soon!
Careers Week
26th – 30th January 2026
Careers Week 2026 will be a busy and exciting week for all children in school to be inspired by various career options. We are so grateful to the visitors who come into school or provide us with pre-recorded videos.
The week will finish with the children coming to school on Friday 30th January dressed for the career they aspire to.
We can’t wait!
Impact of career-related learning
- Broaden and raise aspirations by showing children the range of opportunities available to them.
- Improved outcomes by enhancing their knowledge of careers.
- Developing life skills such as communication and team work and understanding how this relates to having a job.
- Promote inclusivity by challenging stereotypes and showing children how diverse the workplace can be.
‘Career-related learning in primary schools is about broadening pupils’ horizons, challenging stereotypes and helping them develop the skills and sense of self that will enable them to reach their full potential.’ CDI 2021